Kiss the Sun
by teabean
Summary: A game played in the dead of the night. Fun and frivolity for some. But with a trail of ruffled feathers and heartache, can there still be a happy ending? Trogan
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Gilmore Girls, actors, characters, plots, etc, that would be the wonderful people at WB. Although if I did, I'm pretty sure they'd be some big changes coughChadcough. Nor do I own anything to do with 'Lady and the Tramp'. Anyway if you do feel inclined to sue me, some people have strange urges and we must accept them for who they are, I'm currently flat broke so all you will get is a used textbook, on organic chemistry.

**AN:** I was lying there unable to get to sleep because it was just too bloody hot and this idea came to me, hopefully you'll like it. There's Rory of course and Logan, Tristan and Finn and other people. Lorelai and Stars Hollow won't feature much though.

_The chapter is for all the kids starting (back at) school today – or if you're going to my old school and don't start until Thursday (silly private schools!) - the preps are so adorable!_

Chapter 1 

The wick burst softly into blue-yellow flame, lighting the room in a romantic glow and filling the air with a hint of vanilla. A table set for two, with Waterford crystal, expensive china and heirloom silver ware. Pink and red rose petals scattered across pristine white linen.

"Wow," she whispered, taking in the scene, amazed, "You've really outdone yourself."

"I'm not trying to hard, am I," he asked half anxiously, he tried to keep his tone light.

"No, it's beautiful," she shook her head slightly, her coffee brown hair shimmered in the subdued light, "Thank you."

And then she kissed him, entangling her slender fingers in his blonde hair. They smiled, staring longingly into each other's eyes.

"Shall we," he motioned toward the table.

"Certainly," she replied formally, affecting a British accent, before bursting into giggles.

He held her chair out for her, before serving dinner.

"You cooked?" she asked, surprised.

"Would I be ruining the mood if I said no?" he asked with a smile.

"A charming, handsome, rich, well-educated guy, but he can't cook?" she asked, feigning annoyance, "Fail!"

"I could always learn," he replied.

"Or you could employ someone."

"I choose option B," he smiled.

He opened the domed silver lid, revealing a fancy pasta dish. She smiled quietly to herself, noting that the plate had clearly been arranged by a professional chef.

"You know you really didn't have to do this. I mean I would have been fine with spaghetti and meat balls out of a can."

"I'll keep that in mind for our next anniversary," he replied dryly, "We can do the whole 'Lady and a Tramp' thing."

He poured the wine, it's colour as rich and red as the dozen long stem roses he'd given her earlier.

"To us, and a future together, Rory Gilmore," he said, holding his glass up.

"To you and I, Logan Huntzberger," she returned, they clicked their glasses together before taking a sip each.

Logan took a deep breath, about to utter three little words that for the first time in his life he would actually mean.

"Rory?" he began.

She looked up, her expression open and encouraging.

"I – "

A sharp knock at the door interrupted him and he nearly groaned out loud in frustration.

"Logan, I'm so sorry to barge in like this," Finn exclaimed, entering the suite, Colin trailed after him, they both wore worried expressions.

Rory sat back in her chair, with a soft sigh. She really liked Finn and Colin, but she and Logan needed to spend more time together, alone.

"What?" Logan almost demanded.

"There's a situation," Colin replied, shooting Finn a glance.

Finn pulled out a glossy black envelope from his jacket and handed it to Logan. Opening it, Logan tipped the contents out on to his hand. A single blood red feather floated out.

"Shit," Logan exclaimed softly.

"Exactly," Finn replied grimly.

--

AN: Okay, so that ending was a bit 'Lost' (I don't own that either, heck, I don't even like it!), but it's a new story and I hope you like it. Let me know what you think… that's what the blue button is for… press it!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Gilmore Girls, actors, characters, plots, etc, that would be the wonderful people at WB. Although if I did, I'm pretty sure they'd be some big changes coughChadcough. Nor do I own anything to do with MS Word. Anyway if you do feel inclined to sue me, some people have strange urges and we must accept them for who they are, I'm currently flat broke so all you will get is a used textbook, on organic chemistry.

**AN:** I'm so incredibly sorry about the spelling/grammar mistakes in the previous chapter, I've re-edited it now! I'm normally pretty good at pressing that button with an ABC and a tick (spelling and grammar check, my Word is old, so I don't know if the symbols have changed at all). I received a lot of reviews, thank you everyone, but I won't be writing individual responses to everyone because I really want to update.

Thank you Rockrose, FairyGirl07, Rish, LoVe23, Jen, Gilmoregirl7878, mrmp, finnlover, shotswithMrsKim, Mamashirl, Festis7, elle, toomanyobessions, Kisn4L, GilmoreAtHeart74, Iceprincess954, jojo26pink, angela.

_The chapter is my friend who just moved back from overseas, it's good to have you back!_

Chapter 2 

…previously…

"What?" Logan almost demanded.

"There's a situation," Colin replied, shooting Finn a glance.

Finn pulled out a glossy black envelope from his jacket and handed it to Logan. Opening it, Logan tipped the contents out on to his hand. A single blood red feather floated out.

"Shit," Logan exclaimed softly.

"Exactly," Finn replied grimly.

…

Within half an hour, all evidence of the planned romantic evening were gone. The candles blown out, leaving behind a distinct scent. Finn had latched onto the wine, claiming his nerves needed it. A boy Rory didn't recognise ate her pasta before she could even snatch the plate free of his hungry grasp. The table had been cleared and the expensive table ware locked away. Instead of spending the night alone with her boyfriend, Rory found herself in the middle of room of a dozen or so people her age. And there was one common denominator. LDB.

"Finn, what the hell is going on?" Rory hissed pulling him to one side.

Every person she had already asked either had no idea or avoided answering her directly. She pulled the almost empty bottle of wine out of Finn's hand.

"You won't get this back until I get some answers," Rory informed him, ignoring his pouty expression.

"But – "

"No, but's."

Finn sighed before reluctantly retrieving the black envelope and handed it to her. Rory pulled out the red feather, she couldn't help but admire the richness of the red. The bony parts of the feather were gold, giving the feather more weight than was natural.

"It's actually a white swan's feather that's been dyed red and the gold is real," Finn explained, noticing the reverent way she held the feather.

"What does it mean?" Rory asked, twirling it in her hands.

"It's the calling card, if you will, of the 'Order of Scarlet'."

"The Order of Scarlet," Rory scoffed.

"It's a secret society at Harvard."

"Oh, wow," Rory breathed, "If it's a Harvard society, what's this doing here?"

"It means war," Finn grimaced slightly at the melodramatic phrase.

"What are we going to do?" she had to admit, the concept of a secret society war was intriguing.

"Not sure yet," Finn tilted his head toward where Logan and a couple of other LDB members were having a heated discussion.

Suddenly two boys stumbled into the room, puffed.

"Boys," Finn greeted the pair.

"We found this," one of the boys reported, holding out his phone, he had used it to take pictures.

"What is it?" Rory asked peering over his shoulder.

Finn turned to the gallery function. A photo of the top of a Yale building appeared.

"They took the gargoyle," Finn groaned, handing the phone back to the boys, who promptly took it to Logan and the others.

"They took a gargoyle? How do you 'take' a gargoyle, isn't it heavy and kind of stuck to the building? And why a gargoyle? Are they having a gargoyle shortage at Harvard?"

"Slow down, Reporter Girl! If you're going to keep up this rate, you're going to have to give me back the grog."

She handed the wine bottle back to Finn and he took an unhealthy swig.

"Now that's much better."

"Well?" Rory waited impatiently.

"Hmm, yes. That is, or rather was, the LDB gargoyle."

"There's an LDB gargoyle," she laughed incredulously.

"Uh, yes, the product of an LDB man many years ago who had thing for gargoyles."

"So they stuck a gargoyle on a building? Someone would have noticed."

"Only a privileged few knew its origins. Oh and it's not that heavy, gargoyle man couldn't afford a real one and no one else wanted one so it's actually fibre glass."

"So they stole the gargoyle," Rory went back to the issue.

"Seems so."

"They're weird," Rory muttered, she walked across to Logan, "What do we do?"

"Well we need to get Harvard, tonight," he replied, "We need to go rescue a gargoyle."

--


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Gilmore Girls, actors, characters, plots, etc, that would be the wonderful people at WB. Although if I did, I'm pretty sure they'd be some big changes coughChadcough. Nor do I own anything to do with MS Word. Anyway if you do feel inclined to sue me, some people have strange urges and we must accept them for who they are, I'm currently flat broke so all you will get is a used textbook, on organic chemistry.

**Rockrose:** Thank you for reading and reviewing.

**LoVe23:** Thank darling. Updating…

**Rish:** Hmm, lots of intrigue! Maybe she's a hostage, maybe he's the hostage, there's a thought!

**FairyGirl07:** Thank you for reading. Took me a while to stick with The Order of Scarlet, it's actually harder to think of secret society names than I thought it would be, but I've even come up with a motto, which will be revealed later.

**Eva:** Thank you liking it, it's a bit different to my other stories, look out for the twist!

**Finnlover:** I love secret society wars too. My university doesn't have any secret societies (that I know of, lol!), but some friends of mine made one up for fun in 1st year, they even found the perfect location on campus for it. Thanks for reading.

**Mrmp:** Thanks for reading and reviewing. This story will be a bit 'lighter' than my others, so I hope the fun(niness) continues.

**Jojo26pink:** Thanks for taking the time to read and review.

**Joellekyle0712:** I like to think of it as intriguing, I certainly hope not to confuse my dear readers. Thank you for reading.

**Absox:** Thanks for reading and reviewing.

**Elle:** There will be lots of drama between Rory, Logan and Tristan and the others, can't be too specific though. Thanks for reading.

**Shygirly4eva:** Thanks for reading and (hopefully) enjoying.

Chapter 3 

…previously…

"So they stole the gargoyle," Rory went back to the issue.

"Seems so."

"They're weird," Rory muttered, she walked across to Logan, "What do we do?"

"Well we need to get Harvard, tonight," he replied, "We need to go rescue a gargoyle."

…

"Logan?" Rory asked as they walked to three black SUVs that had appeared in the car park near Logan's dorm.

She felt left out, everyone seemed to know more about what was going on than she did. She felt like she had at the first LDB event she had attended, except that people were using 'e'.

"Go with Finn," Logan nodded toward the other boy.

"And Finn is?"

"Part of the decoy," he replied.

"It'll be fun, a bit running, hiding and we'll all be home in time for a beer," Finn declared, slinging an arm across her shoulder.

"Great," Rory replied, frowning at the thought of running, "Can't we just dress up in safari outfits?"

"We should have a theme," Stephanie said suddenly.

"Yes, because running around Harvard with plastic gorilla masks will not make this stranger," Rory commented.

"Plus we don't have time," Logan reminded them.

"Not to mention we're anarchists, theme's suggest order," Colin added.

"Yes and plans are really good spread at anarchy."

"Kids, into the SUVs," Logan said, shepherding the bickering pair, "I'll even let you play 'Are we there yet?'."

The drive to Harvard passed quicker than Rory expected, everyone was jumpy with nervous excitement.

"Sorry for crashing the anniversary," Finn apologised softly to Rory, he didn't want to speak too loudly as there were other LDB members in the car as well.

"It's okay," Rory shrugged, "Anyway, this is kind of appropriate."

It was actually a year since she and Logan had jumped off the scaffolding in formal wear, Logan claimed that taking such a leap together was definitely the start of their relationship.

"But seriously, you and Logan are good together."

"Thanks, Finn," Rory replied with a smile.

A contented silence filled the car for the rest of the journey.

--

Sometime soon after, the three SUVs pulled into a wooded area near Harvard University. People got out quietly and huddled into three groups. The plan of attack was pretty simple, one group of LDB members would search for the gargoyle and rescue it, while another group acted as a decoy and a third group would 'attack'. Carrying out the plan was not so simple.

The decoy group had been doing well until they had received a desperate message from the attack group for back up, a decision to split up the decoy had been made immediately. Finn, Rory and a few others were the only ones left in the decoy.

"Oh no," Finn said grimly.

"What?" Rory whispered.

"I hear footsteps."

"You're hearing things."

"Shh."

"Oh no," Rory whispered.

"Stay here."

"What? No, I can't. Why can't I go with you?"

"The decoy, needs a decoy," Finn whispered dramatically before hurrying off with half of the remaining decoys.

Rory glanced around, Finn had left her with two other LDB members, neither seemed particularly of what to do next.

"I guess we should hide?" Rory half-stated.

"Okay," one of the other two responded, not very confidently.

They moved into the shadows, but found that there was nowhere big enough for all three of them to hide together. Rory looked at her two companions, neither looked old enough to be anything other than freshmen and bother actually looked scared.

"How about you two hide here and if anything goes wrong, head back to the SUVs?" she suggested, "I'll somewhere else to hide, okay?"

The other two LDB members nodded and disappeared into the shadows. Taking a deep breath, Rory hurried off, in search of her own hiding spot.

--

She walked as quickly and as quietly as she could, cursing the fact the universities had to be brightly lit at night. Damn security, she thought. And why did Finn have to leave her behind, she could have been a decoy for the decoy, not that there was any point now since there was no decoy to need a decoy. Not to mention this whole 'war between secret societies' was kind of juvenile. Some people just have too much time and too much money. So lost in thought, Rory almost missed the sounds of footsteps near her.

"Hey, can you hear that?" she heard someone ask.

"Hear what?" another voice responded

Rory froze, she didn't recognise either speaker, which meant that they weren't LDB. She quickened her pace, ducking into the nearest darkened alcove she could find.

"I swear I heard someone walking," the first voice returned.

"Well which way did they go?" a third voice asked.

"That way, I think," the second voice added.

Rory held her breath as the three voices drifted towards her, she could hear their footsteps grow louder and louder. Damn it, Finn, where are you?

--

AN: A bit of a cliffy… oh no, what will happen if they find her! Maybe they'll conduct weird science experiments on Rory…


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Gilmore Girls, actors, characters, plots, etc, that would be the wonderful people at WB. Although if I did, I'm pretty sure they'd be some big changes coughChadcough. Nor do I own anything to do with MS Word. Anyway if you do feel inclined to sue me, some people have strange urges and we must accept them for who they are, I'm currently flat broke so all you will get is a used textbook, on organic chemistry.

**Rockrose:** I can't say if she'll get caught for obvious reasons, but I am continuing soon! Thanks for reading.

**FairyGirl07:** Maybe it's one of those secret societies with links to weird cults and things! I'm glad it's getting more addicting, I like writing this story more too. Thanks for reading.

**Rish:** See I haven't left you hanging for too long! Thanks for reading and reviewing.

**Mrmp:** Don't tell anyone, but I finished both chapters 3 and 4, but only loaded 3, so technically I shouldn't have left anyone hanging, but I couldn't resist… sorry. Thanks for reading.

**Shygirly4eva:** I'm not very good at suspense because I tend to get too excited and kill surprise by telling everyone too quickly. And I'm glad you like my take on Finn, I've only seen two episodes with him (since GG isn't ratings tv in Australia and only gets shown for a few weeks each summer).

**Chapter 4**

…previously…

"Hey, can you hear that?" she heard someone ask.

"Hear what?" another voice responded

Rory froze, she didn't recognise either speaker, which meant that they weren't LDB. She quickened her pace, ducking into the nearest darkened alcove she could find.

"I swear I heard someone walking," the first voice returned.

"Well which way did they go?" a third voice asked.

"That way, I think," the second voice added.

Rory held her breath as the three voices drifted towards her, she could hear their footsteps grow louder and louder. Damn it, Finn, where are you?

…

She heart beat furiously, hoping the Order of Scarlet members would pass her by. Where was Finn and the others? The footsteps grew louder and she held her breath, not wanting the slightest sound to alert them to her presence. She exhaled slowly as they passed by the alcove. The silence stretched for minutes before she dared step out of the shadows. Okay if she took a left turn over there, she would be heading back the way she'd come, but then that wasn't the right way anyway, so –

"Lost?"

The voice startled her and she froze, wishing she hadn't taken that one step forward into the light.

"Um, no?" she replied weakly, the statement coming out as a question, desperately and vainly searching for somewhere to hide.

"You sure?" the voice asked again.

She looked up finally and found two blue eyes, dancing with amusement, gazing down at her. She straightened, holding her head high and trying to regain her lost confidence. The speaker, a boy, about her age with a short blonde hair seemed awfully familiar. She took in his casual attire, loose jeans and a dark blue shirt, which set off his eyes, he had a confident air about him. And then he smirked.

"Tristan Dugrey?" she asked, disbelievingly.

"Rory Gilmore," he returned grinning, "What are you doing?"

"I can't tell you," she whispered, suddenly remembering the cause for late night dash to Harvard.

"You can't?" he asked back, clearly amused by her attitude.

"Keep your voice down," she hissed, annoyed at being a source for his amusement.

"Come on," he said, grabbing her hand and before she could protest, he dragged from alcove.

"Where are you taking me?" Rory demanded, almost having to run to keep up with him.

"You'll see," he replied confidently as they hurried between the many dark buildings that made up Harvard at night.

After seemingly countless turns, Tristan stopped suddenly.

"Okay, see that odd-shaped building there?" he pointed to an indeed odd-shaped building in the distance.

"With the statue in front of it?"

"Yeah. Go to the end of the building and take a left."

"Why?"

"Just trust me," he flashed her a smile.

"Famous last words," Rory muttered to herself, staring across the empty expanse that stretched between her current location and the said building.

There was just too much exposed ground.

"What about you?" she asked turning to Tristan, only to find he had vanished.

With no other choice, she hurried across the brightly lit front of the and turned left as directed and to her surprise and relief, there was a familiar wooded area, a familiar black SUV hidden amongst the trees.

"Oh God, Rory, I've been looking for you everywhere," Finn exclaimed, exiting the SUV as she approached it.

"I got lost," she explained apologetically, "Where's everyone else?"

"Logan and a few others were spotted, everyone had to make a quick getaway."

"And you waited for me," she smiled affectionately up at him as he held the door open for her.

"Well someone had to," he retorted, closing the door before she respond.

--

"So how'd you find your way back?" Finn asked as they drove back to Yale.

"I bumped into someone I knew from high school, I guess he must go here."

"Does 'he' have a name?" Finn asked, with a slight frown.

"Tristan Dugrey."

Finn's frown deepened.

"What?" Rory asked anxiously.

"No relation to Janlen Dugrey?"

"His grandfather, I think," Rory replied, thinking back to her days at Chilton.

"And he just told you how to get back to the car?" Finn asked sceptically.

"Yes! What's wrong?"

"Dugreys are all Scarlets," Finn explained finally.

"Oh," Rory replied quietly.

"Logan's not going to want to hear about that."

"I won't tell him?" Rory asked, looking for confirmation.

"Good," Finn nodded.

"So did they find the gargoyle?"

"Just," he grinned.

"Guess, it's alright then."

"It doesn't end here though."

"No," Rory groaned, thinking how tired she was already.

"It's war, m'dear," Finn grinned, "And we're only just getting warmed up!"

--

AN: You may have noticed that I wrote 'Dugrey', which is contrary to what I have written in all my other stories. I have made this change specifically for photoboothromance, I don't like to annoy my readers. However I will not change the spelling of Tristan's surname in my other current stories because I prefer 'Du Gray' and I'm too lazy, nor do I know if I will keep the 'new' spelling for any other stories I may right in the future. If there are any other issues, let me know and further changes may occur.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Gilmore Girls, actors, characters, plots, etc, that would be the wonderful people at WB. Although if I did, I'm pretty sure they'd be some big changes coughChadcough. Nor do I own anything to do with MS Word. Anyway if you do feel inclined to sue me, some people have strange urges and we must accept them for who they are, I'm currently flat broke so all you will get is a used textbook, on organic chemistry.

**AN: **I know many people have been asking whether this is a Rogan or a Trory and I can honestly say I'm sitting on the fence at the moment. I have promised to write a Rogan so this could be the one, but I can be swayed into making it a Trory because that's what I find the easiest to write (but I do love a challenge).

**Rish:** Thank you for taking the time to read and review. Would you prefer a Trory or a Rogan ending?

**Rockrose:** Thanks, and I'm continuing, see?

**LoVe23:** Oh you're sweet. Thanks for reading and enjoying.

**Mrmp:** yeah it was a bit short, but I did update twice in one day so… thanks for reading.

**Red Dots are Awesome:** haven't decided on Trory/Rogan. And gosh, no way would I change Tristan to Tristin! I can't stand that spelling, everyone keeps saying that Tristin is the proper spelling, but my official count (from the WB websites) are 1 vote Tristin to 5 votes Tristan.

**FairyGirl07:** The first GG fanfic story I ever wrote was titled 'Tea Bean Coffee Leaf', actually that story still lives in my computer somewhere, my penname 'teabean' comes from that. And no, I won't ever post 'Tea Bean Coffee Leaf', it's for experimental purposes only! And I haven't decided on the ending, but would you still read this if I made it a Rogan ending?

**Kate:** Like I said, haven't decided on Tristan or Logan yet, I'm weighted slightly towards Rogan at the moment because of the promise I made to write a Rogan. At the very least, I might write two endings, one for the Rogan fans and one for the Trory fans, what do you think?

**PolkadotBanana:** Who cares if we spell things wrong! ;D, there should be an international spell things wrong day where we all ban the spell checker for twenty four hours… that was totally random and I apologise, thanks for reading.

**RavensWritingProphecies:** Thanks for reading, haven't decided on the ending pairing yet.

**Coffee-is-addictive:** Thanks and look! I'm updating.., redundant comment I know, but…

**Finnlover:** You make a good point in favour of a Rogan ending. As for the war, I've got to think up some decent pranks. Thanks for reading.

**Photoboothromance:** Aww, ain't you a darling! This is just a regular reader/writer love-fest! Glad you're enjoying my story. I'll make a note of your opinion on the Logan/Tristan for Rory issue, but I can't promise anything yet. Would you still read it if I made it a Rogan?

**Joellekyle0712:** Thanks and I like your review.

**Jojo26pink:** Thanks, darling. Updating, updating.

**Mrs. Rhett Butler:** Thanks and I'm updating.

**Sparxx27:** curious name, but I like it. My friends call me weird, random and mentally not all there, but I call myself original, hope my story stays that way too! Thanks for reading and please excuse my odd behaviour.

**Elle:** Thanks for reading, I'm trying to hurry along, but I've so many thoughts and really dodgy typing skills.

**Iceprincess954:** Thank you for reading and reviewing.

**Festis7:** Rory will have a few choice words to say to Logan in this chapter. And I've noted your vote for a Rogan ending, I have promised a Rogan. Thanks for reading.

**Chapter 5**

Sunlight filtered through the half-opened blinds, waking her slowly. She sat up, rubbing sleep from her eyes, she squinted at the clock. 11:14. God, the sun's too bright… she sounded like Finn. She needed coffee, lots and lots of coffee. Espresso, cappuccino, latte – Wait, what was the time? 11:16. Shit! She was late. She fell off the bed with a thud and a groan. Scrambling to stand up, she ended up entangled in the sheets. Any other time she would have been amused.

Ten minutes and half a dozen curses later, she was dressed and out the door, heading to her 11 o'clock lecture. Not that it helped, by the time she reached the theatre, students were pouring out.

"No, no, no, no," she muttered, hoping that it was a mistake and she hadn't just missed the only lecture she had for the day.

"Gilmore," Professor Giles called out to her as he exited the lecture theatre, "We missed you today."

"Sorry," she winced, putting on her best apologetic expression.

"Yes, well, be here on time and you wouldn't have to be. We could have used your normally insightful comments on class systems in American society."

"Won't happen again," Rory replied emphatically.

"Good," Giles nodded, before stalking off to his next lecture.

"Dammit Logan," Rory muttered to herself, Giles didn't take well to students skipping his lectures.

With her morning ruined, she headed off to give her boyfriend a piece of her mind given it was his fault she was now on Giles' list.

--

Logan's suite was always a constant hub of LDB activity, but today made all the previous days look like primary school chess tournaments.

"Logan," Rory hissed, drawing his attention from whatever discussion he was having with other LDB members.

"What?" he asked shortly, finally noticing her presence.

It irked her that she had suddenly become secondary to the secret society.

"It's all your fault."

"What is?" Logan frowned in confusion.

"Giles is pissed off because I missed his lecture."

"And?" Logan prompted, hurrying her along.

"And?" Rory repeated annoyed, "And the last person who pissed Giles off is living in some fishing village in South-east Asia, eating nothing but yams. Giles destroys students if he doesn't like them and he doesn't like it when students skip lectures."

"And this is my fault because?"

"Because of your stupid gargoyle mission, I got up late and I missed the lecture and now Giles is pissed off!" Rory exclaimed.

"Uh, Logan, you want to take that outside?" another LDB member interrupted, eyes darting from Rory to Logan and back, "We're trying to formulate a plan here."

"Oh the secret society war!" Rory exclaimed, "Do you know how juvenile and stupid it is?"

"Rory – " Logan tried to cut her off, but got cut off himself.

"You cut our anniversary dinner short to go rescue a gargoyle! If the Scarlets want a gargoyle, they can have the gargoyle."

"Rory, you're being irrational," Logan tried to placate her.

"Says he hangs out with people who run around in plastic gorilla masks," retorted Rory.

"You're LDB too," Logan replied, eyebrow raised in amused confusion.

Rory whirled around, her back to Logan, taking a deep breath she calmed herself.

"As you said, we had a late one," Logan began, sensing an opening, "And you must be exhausted."

He took her hand, leading her to an empty corner of the suite, he wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on her shoulder. She sighed heavily, relaxing into Logan's arms.

"And I'm sorry that this LDB thing is taking up so much time," Logan continued, "Go home, catch up on some sleep and how about I take you out tonight?"

"I can't, I have an early start tomorrow," Rory replied, quietly glad he was putting her first.

"Okay, how about tomorrow night?" Logan asked again.

Rory heard one of the other LDB members within hearing distance give an unsubtle cough, but Logan ignored them.

"We'll go to a nice fancy place, all dressed up and order the entire dessert menu," Logan continued.

Several more LDB members coughed pointedly.

"What about the war with the Scarlets?" Rory asked, Logan might be able to ignore his friends' attempts at drawing his attention, but she couldn't.

"They'll have to survive without me."

"Can we stay in?" Rory asked.

"Sure, whatever you want," Logan smiled warmly at her.

--

**AN:** A bare light bulb swings creating a slow-motion strobe light, illuminating a small, pale figure hunched over the table. The figure whimpers as the light hits her eyes. She covers her face with her hands, nails bitten to the quick.

"Just tell us," a large man in a cheap suit looms over her.

"Teabean, UserID 943387," she murmurs, over and over again, rocking back and forth on her chair, "Teabean, UserID 943387."

"Give her another hit," the large man orders to an unseen entity.

The room falls silent at first, but soon a dull throbbing can be heard, it grows louder and louder until it sounds like a beating heart, lub dub, lub dub…

"Teabean, UserID 943387," her voice, though weak, rises plaintively over the noise.

The sound is finally loud enough to distinguish each beat, "Rogan, Trory, Rogan, Trory, Rogan, Trory…"

"Make it stop," she pleads.

The man in the cheap suit nods towards the unseen entity and the chanting stops.

"Now which is it?" he leans forward, eyes narrowed.

"You can't make me," she replies scowling.

"Resistance is futile," he sneers.

"So is cellulite cream," she retorts.

…. Just a random addition….


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Gilmore Girls, actors, characters, plots, etc, that would be the wonderful people at WB. Although if I did, I'm pretty sure they'd be some big changes coughChadcough. Nor do I own anything to do with MS Word. Anyway if you do feel inclined to sue me, some people have strange urges and we must accept them for who they are, I'm currently flat broke so all you will get is a used textbook, on organic chemistry.

**Photoboothormance: **Still haven't decided whether to go with Tristan or Logan, considering writing the last chapter twice (yes, sorry, it won't be revealed until the last chapter), so there can be a Rogan and a Trory ending.

**Rockrose:** sorry about the jerky LDB people. Thanks for reading.

**Rish:** Thank you darling! I'm not a big Rogan fan eithre, I'm yet read a story where I've wanted them to end up together, but I haven't decided how I'll end this one yet.

**Ali:** It's okay, at least you reviewed, so thanks for that. And apparently I'm collecting cherries now… Maybe my finger slipped and typed Logan instead of Tristan, hmmm.

**Bethany Inc:** Sorry about the short chapter, I didn't like it much either so I know present a much longer update and very quickly too… now all you have to do is update you're stories, I'm waiting, missy!

**Aphi72:** Thank you for reading and enjoying. Just quietly, I liked the AN a bit more too.

**Danger1Zone1988**: Thanks and see, I'm updating soo.

**4uALWAYZ**: You mean the AN? It's just a random addition in response to all the arguments for the story to be a Rogan or Trory ending.

**LoVe23:** Aww, aren't you sweet, thanks for reviewing and reading and liking (in that order!).

**Jojo26pink:** Thanks, a bit more Logan and Rory in this chapter too.

**Kaitlyn:** Noted. Thanks for taking the time to read and review.

**Finnlover:** Oh thank you, you're too kind. The AN kind of popped into my head and I thought I'd add it to the end of the chapter. It's a case of me having a mind like an erupted volcano, there's cr!p all over the place, put it's very fertile.

**Chrissy:** Thanks for reading and reviewing, but the gargoyle's already been saved.

**Mrmp:** You mean my AN was strange? I prefer the term normal-impaired, it makes me seem less odd… and yes, I do realise the irony of that statement.

**Coffee-is-addictive:** I've made a note of your preference and thanks for reading.

**Toomanyobsessions:** Yeah, it was a bit short, this chapter's a touch longer, I think. Your vote has been noted and I'll try my best. Thanks for reading.

**Colleen:** Thank you! And look, I'm updating… in case you hadn't noticed.

**Sparxx27**: Another vote for Rogan, duly noted. Thanks for reading and enjoying.

**FairyGirl07:** Thanks for your input and your very lovely comments. As for the weather over here, it's too bloody hot, hand me the ice already! It's just sun, sun, sun and not a single cloud in sight. Pleasant enough until you remember that there's a giant hole in the ozone layer above us, so it's kind of like living on a giant hot plate without oven mitts. And watching the Winter Olympics really doesn't help. How's the weather where you are?

**KT86:** I'm not much of a Logan-fan either, made a note of your vote (that rhymed, odd!). Thanks for reading.

**Hylle:** Oh, but I do want your opinion and I've made a note of it. Thank you for taking the time to read and review.

**Red Dots are Awesome:** As long as I wrote it, I don't mind which you love more! Thanks for reading.

**Charlotte:** Thanks, darling. Made a note of your opinion, will do my best.

**Brown-eyed-beauty87:** Ok, ok, ok, ok! Just kidding. Thanks for your opinion and I'll certainly see what I can do. You can spell it Tristan/Tristan Du Gray/Dugrey/Dugray/etc, or however you want, it's your story, no one should tell you off for it. And I hope you feel better soon, maybe this will help.

**Chapter 6**

In the end they decided to go out, Logan taking Rory out to a little bookshop where he organised for them to have dinner. It was a certainly a beautiful second take on their anniversary that was interrupted by the gargoyle kidnapping, surrounded by candles, roses and the subtle scent of books that Rory loved. Afterwards, they returned to Logan's suite, empty of its other occupants who were running around somewhere trying to create havoc for the Scarlets.

"Hey, I'm going to use the bathroom," Logan said as they stepped inside.

"Okay," Rory replied, reaching for the tv remote.

She had just gotten comfortable on the sofa when the telephone rang. She scrambled for the cordless, trying to find the source of the sound. She frowned, hands on hips, surely years of searching for the phone at her mother's house would mean she would be a champion phone finder. But she need not have bothered searching as the answering machine beat her to it, and the recorded voices of Colin, Logan and Finn played loudly into the room.

"Hey, you've reached Logan, Finn and Colin, we can't answer the phone right now – " Colin's voice started.

"We can't be bothered, or we're drunk," Finn voice cut him off.

"No, Finn, you're drunk," Logan added, "We can't – "

"Anyway," Colin tried to snatch back control, "Leave a message and we'll get back to you – "

"When we're not drunk! Unless you're a hot red, then I'm available, anytime, anywhere."

"Finn! – beep."

"Uh, hi, um, this is Tamara Higgins," a new, female voice came through the machine, "I'm calling for Logan. Hey, um how are you? About that thing next Saturday week, I know you said no, but I think you should give it some more thought, first. Well, okay, I guess I'll see you around. Bye… Oh, um, call me. You have my number."

Rory stared at the answering machine in disbelief. She knew Logan's dating history, he was a regular player, but she had thought he'd changed. She wasn't naïve, but she didn't think a guy, any guy would put so much effort into a relationship, like Logan had with her, only to go mess it up.

"Hey, what are you watching?" Logan asked, returning from the bathroom.

"Huh?" Rory looked at him blanking.

"The tv?" Logan tilted his head toward it, currently some ad for a car was playing.

"So you want to tell me about Tamara Higgins?" Rory ignored his question, getting straight to the point.

"How'd you know Tamara?" Logan asked suspiciously.

Rory stared at him, how dare he be suspicious of her! She took her immediate anger out on the 'play' button, pressing it as hard and viciously as she could and Tamara's voice filled the room again.

"And what? You think I'm cheating on you now?" Logan scoffed.

"What am I supposed to think?" Rory demanded, hurt by her boyfriend's reaction or lack thereof.

"Maybe you could give me a chance to explain, before jumping to conclusions."

"Well explain," Rory prompted curtly.

"I really shouldn't be telling you this," Logan admitted, but Rory glared at him harder, "Tamara Higgins is – no, no, I made a promise not reveal anything to anyone.

"Am I just anyone?" she demanded.

"No – "

"You know what? Forget it, I think we need to take a break."

"Rory, please don't do this," Logan pleaded.

"You need to concentrate on this LDB, Scarlet thing and this relationship needs some breathing space," Rory replied firmly, she collected her purse and walked out of the suite before Logan could stop her.

--

"Mom, you home?" Rory called out tiredly, entering her childhood home.

"Kitchen, honey!" Lorelai called back, "I didn't know you were coming over this weekend."

"Surprise!" Rory replied half-heartedly, entering the kitchen where her mother sat sipping an over-sized mug of coffee.

"Well, how are you?" Lorelai asked her daughter, handing her a fresh mug of coffee.

"Good," Rory replied, taking a sip and savouring the taste.

"And school?"

"Good."

"You know it cost a pretty penny and much mental scaring from Emily Gilmore to get you into Yale, the least you could do is form actual sentences with many words," Lorelai kidded.

"Mom," Rory whined.

"How are things with you and lover-boy?" Lorelai asked.

"Rocky."

"Not good?" mocked Lorelai.

"No, like the movie," her daughter replied sarcastically.

"Shees, no need to take that tone with me, young lady," Lorelai joked, "Tell mommy, what's wrong in paradise this time?"

"He's being secretive," Rory sighed.

"Mysterious," mused Lorelai.

"Huh? No, secretive," Rory corrected.

"Mysterious sounds better," Lorelai explained.

"So does 'six-pack', but that doesn't mean he has one."

"So you were saying?" Lorelai drew them back to the original topic.

"I heard a girl on his answering machine.

"Oh, scary," mocked Lorelai and Rory eyed her mother curiously, "You do realise he lives with two other boys?"

"She asked for Logan specifically," Rory revealed.

"Did you forget to mark your territory? How many times do I have to tell you, a little urine here and there prevents ownership issues?"

Mom, that's gross."

"You could use perfume for a substitute," Lorelai shrugged.

"Anyway, she – "

"The girl on the machine?"

"Yeah, she mentioned something about next Saturday?"

"Is it cancelled? Because your grandmother wants me to go to this thing, but I really, really, really don't want to go."

"Huh? No. And she said for him to call her and that she has her number."

"She could be his personal shopper," Lorelai suggested, "Or his dentist or his – "

"And when I confronted him about it, he went all secretive."

"Mysterious," Lorelai corrected autonatically.

"And then I kinda told him we meed to take a break."

"No," Lorelai murmured, serious again, "What did he say?"

"Nothing much."

"Really?" Lorelai asked a little surprised that Logan would give up so easily.

"But now he won't stop sending me flowers."

"What kind? You can tell a lot by the kind of flowers a man gives."

"All kinds, every kind. It's sending Paris insane, even more than normal, it's sending me insane."

"It's sweet."

"He looks guilty."

"Didn't you tell me that your anniversary dinner was interrupted?"

"Yeah," Rory conceded.

"He's trying, babe, don't jump to conclusions too soon," Lorelai said, being practical.

There was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it," Lorelai said going to the front door and opening it, "Kirk?"

"Is this the Gilmore residence?" Kirk asked, in his usual Kirk-manner.

"Kirk, you know very well that this is the 'Gilmore residence'. And what's with the FedEx uniform? Does Lulu have a postal worker fetish?"

"Lorelai, I will not let your attempts at humour distract me from doing my job to the utmost level."

"Well, then Kirk, what can I do for you?"

"Is there are Lorelai Gilmore at this address?"

"Let's think about that for a second, shall we," Lorelai mocked, "Hmm, oh wait, I'm Lorelai Gilmore."

"Lorelai Leigh Gilmore?"

"Lorelai Victoria, Lorelai Leigh, close enough."

"Not close enough."

"Oh you're no fun today," Lorelai sighed, "Rory, can you get out here? There's a package for you."

"Sure," Rory called coming to the front door, "Kirk? What's with the uniform?"

"Don't ask," muttered Lorelai under her breath.

"Are you Lorelai Leigh Gilmore?" Kirk asked in his usual tone.

"Yeah," Rory replied slowly, she raised an eyebrow at her mother.

"Sign here, please?" Kirk proffered a receipt of delivery, which Rory signed, "Here you go."

He handed a largish FedEx box to Rory.

"Have a good day," Kirk said.

"You too, Kirk," Rory called, taking the box into the living room.

"Yeah, bye! And Kirk, you look hot in a uniform," Lorelai shouted, causing Kirk to blush.

"Well, what's in it?" Lorelai asked, joining her daughter.

"Let's find out."

Rory ripped opened the FedEx package, spilling the polystrene bits that had been used in the packing and almost missing the contents as it slipped to the ground. Lorelai scrambled to pick it up, holding up a black velvet pouch for her to see. They stood with bated breath as Rory opened the velvet pouch with more care than she had shown the FedEx package. Rory slipped her hand inside and pulled out a delicate, silver necklace.

"Oh my god, is that a diamond?" Lorelai gasped, "I think I need to sit, I might faint."

"It's beautiful," Rory murmured in wonderment.

The necklace itself was a simple silver chain, the links so tiny that it looked like a smooth silver line, but was the pendant that drew Lorelai's eyes. A tear-drop diamond, about the same size as the fingernail on Rory's little finger, dangled free, catching the light.

"Why do you get all the pretty things?" Lorelai half joked, pouting, "I want one too."

"There are matching earrings too," Rory said, pulling out the earrings from the velvet pouch.

"Who sends stuff like _that_ through the mail? Imagine Castaway, that ain't no Wilson!"

"There's no return address," Rory said, examining the packaging.

"Anonymous secret admirer? Or a stalker?"

"A really rich stalker."

Lorelai grabbed the packaging from Rory's hands, giving it a good shake, a card tumbled out.

"Ohh, this might help," Lorelai said snatching up the card, "Nice paper. It says 'Basium sol solis', er I might not be Ivy-league educated, but that's not English."

"No, it's Latin," Rory said, her brow furrowed as she studied the card, "It means 'kiss the sun' or near enough."

"A learned, rich stalker. Damn!"

"Well I can't just accept this."

"Why not?"

"Maybe it's not for me."

"That's true, it's for the other Lorelai Leigh Gilmore of Stars Hollow, Connecticut," replied Lorelai quite seriously.

"Mom!"

"Look, tomorrow morning, when I see Kirk at Luke's I'll ask him," Lorelai relented, "But until then, you should put it on and prance around like it's meant to be yours, just in case."

Rory relented with a sigh, it was definitely pretty and it wasn't everyday she received gifts like it.

"Maybe it's from Logan?" Lorelai suggested.

"Maybe," Rory agreed softly, admiring the way the diamond caught and reflected the light.

--

AN: Show me the love! Press the blue button.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Gilmore Girls, actors, characters, plots, etc, that would be the wonderful people at WB. Although if I did, I'm pretty sure they'd be some big changes coughChadcough. Nor do I own anything to do with MS Word. Anyway if you do feel inclined to sue me, some people have strange urges and we must accept them for who they are, I'm currently flat broke so all you will get is a used textbook, on organic chemistry.

**Rockrose:** Thank you for reading and reviewing, much appreciated.

**Rish:** Can't tell you gave her the present, will be revealed later, but I guess you already knew that.

**Photoboothromance:** I'm sad to have lost a reader, especially such a regular R&Rer as yourself. Rory's reaction was a little predictable I know, that's why Lorelai and (in this chapter) Paris are a little less predictable, or at least I hope they are. Plus I'd like to think that the conclusion to Tamara is a little less predictable, still it's not like I can force you to read. Anyway, I hope you'll read my other stories. Thanks.

**FairyGirl07:** Can't say anything about the necklace but it will be revealed in due time. Thanks for reading and reviewing.

**I die without you:** Sorry for leaving you hanging, but I think you might be there for a little longer. Thank you for reading

**Ali:** Thanks for enjoying, you'll find out all about the necklace very soon.

**Campanology101:** Thanks! I think a beta proof reads the stories to check for spelling mistakes and stuff like that, maybe edits a bit too. I don't have a beta and I probably won't get one, but I'll try to make sure I keep mistakes to a minimum.

**Brown-eyed-beauty87:** Thanks, I'll keep your opinion in mind.

**Foxymoxy116:** No, I don't think you've reviewed this before, but I appreciate it greatly, welcome first-time reviewer of my story! Thanks for enjoying and happy reading to you.

**Mrmp:** I have an over-active imagination, sometimes I share it with people like that AN. Can't reveal the sender of the necklace yet, but I hope you'll like it. Thanks for reading.

**Coffee-is-addictive:** well thank you for your lovely review and I've noted your vote.

**Bethany Inc:** I've made a note of the 'tinted periwinkle button' for future reference! As for Tamare, I can tell you that all your guesses are wrong, hehe… ; ). Thanks for enjoying, but please, please, please update at least one of your stories.

**Red Dots are Awesome:** well thanks for reviewing, especially since you weren't going but you did. Updating…

**LoVe23:** Updating almost everyday, damn I'm spoiling you, my lovely readers! Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

**Sparxx27: **can't say who sent the necklace, but like you said, you knew that already. Glad to be your new favourite, hope the enjoyment continues. Thanks for reading.

**Angela:** You'll find out very soon who sent the necklace. I take it you would like this to be a Rogan?

**Finnlover:** You maybe too lazy to sign in, I'm too lazy to move, it's too hot, stupid summer. And all the mystery will be revealed very soon!

**Chapter 7**

Returning from her trip to Stars Hollow, Rory came back to Yale to discover that the suite she shared with Paris brimming with flowers. Though it did make him appear guilty, Rory couldn't help but feel a little special to receive so much attention.

"Rory, you're going to have to do something!" Paris exclaimed exasperatedly looking about the room, "I can't even see the front door any more."

"I know, I'm sorry."

Walking around the room almost required a machete and a compass.

"I feel like I'm in the world smallest, yet most well stocked florist," Paris sighed, "And I think all the pollen is going to induce hay fever, if I don't have it already."

"I'll get someone to move the flowers out," Rory replied, "I don't where to, but…"

"What you need to do is talk to Logan," Paris told her, "Even if he is guilty of whatever you think he is guilty, most guys wouldn't go to so much effort as he has."

"You don't even like Logan," Rory looked at her suitemate in surprise.

"Give the guy a break, he's trying."

"I will," Rory nodded, "Just as soon as I work out how to get out of here."

The pair stared at all the flowers around them, barricading the entrance.

"I think maybe you could just bash your way through," Paris suggested, "Elbows out."

--

She ended up calling Logan, asking him to come to meet her for coffee and their favourite daytime haunt.

"Logan," Rory greeted her on-hold-boyfriend as he approached their usual table, sliding into the seat opposite her.

"Rory," he gave her a tentative, hopeful smile in return, "Did you like the flowers?"

"All several thousand of them, yes," she nodded.

"Good, that's good."

And uncomfortable silence settled over them. Rory stared at table, studying the grain as she fiddled nervously with the hem of shirt, all too aware of Logan's searching gaze.

"How are things with the LDB?" she asked finally looking up.

"There fine," Logan replied, shrugging, "Um, we're pretty even with the Scarlets, but I think we might get them."

"Well that's good," she smiled agreeably.

"Rory, I have no idea what I've got to do to get you to take me back," Logan admitted.

"Tell me who the girl on the answering machine was?" Rory replied simply.

"I can't," Logan shook his head.

"Why not?"

"It's just…" he trailed off, trying to formulate a response.

"It's just what?" Rory demanded, her patience starting to wear out.

"Look, I know that in the past I haven't exactly being monogamous," Logan explained, choosing a different tack, "But I can assure you that since we started dating exclusively I haven't cheated on you, not once, I haven't even entertained the idea of cheating on you."

"Why should I believe you?" Rory frowned.

"I care about you, more than I have cared about anyone my life, ever."

"You're smooth talker Logan, you always were."

"I'm not trying to 'smooth talk' you, I'm trying to explain how I feel about you," he was starting to get frustrated with her hostility.

"Then why don't you just come out and say it?" her voice rising in volume with her increasing annoyance.

"I love you, alright!" he shouted back, he winced thankful that the café was empty.

She stared at him in shock, unable to comprehend the complete turnaround in his attitude towards her from just a year earlier.

"I'm in love with you," Logan continued softly, "I have been for quite some time."

Still she couldn't respond, she could barely think, much less get her vocal cords working again.

"I wanted to tell you the night of our anniversary, just before Finn and Colin came in," his voice was gentle and soothing, but a hint of frustration and anxiousness crept in too, "I wanted everything to be perfect, the timing, the atmosphere. The last thing I wanted was to tell you completely unplanned and it looks like that's exactly how it ended up."

"I had no idea," Rory murmured, finally finding her voice.

"Yeah, well, now you do," Logan replied flippantly, annoyed that it hadn't gone to plan, "Sometime in the last twelve months, I completely lost interest in everyone, but you. I didn't need anyone, but you. And now everything is messed up."

"Logan…" she wanted to tell him she was sorry for assuming the worst about him, but somehow she couldn't find the words.

"Maybe you're right," he said suddenly, "Maybe we do need a break."

"No, I – " she wanted to stop him, beg him to forgive her, to take back everything she said.

"Like you said, this LDB, Scarlet thing does need my attention," he steamrolled over her, "The Scarlets are really tough to beat."

He stood up suddenly, gathering his belongings.

"Wait!" Rory exclaimed, her heart freezing at the thought she might lose him completely.

He met her gaze and she was shocked to the see the hurt in his eyes.

"I can't," he whispered hoarsely.

--


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Gilmore Girls, actors, characters, plots, etc, that would be the wonderful people at WB. Although if I did, I'm pretty sure they'd be some big changes coughChadcough. Nor do I own anything to do with Zorro, Dead Poets' Society or Skulls. Anyway if you do feel inclined to sue me, some people have strange urges and we must accept them for who they are, I'm currently flat broke so all you will get is a used textbook, on organic chemistry.

Weeping Maple: Thanks for reviewing. Sorry about the delay. Can't confirm the final pairing, you know how it is with us writers!

Broadway89: Sorry about taking so long to update. Thanks for reviewing.

Rockrose: Thanks for taking the time to review. Hope you're still wanting to read this one.

LoVe23: Sorry for taking seemingly forever to update. And thank you for reviewing.

I die without you: Thanks for reading and reviewing.

FairyGirl07: The necklace issue will be resolved very soon. Thank you for reading and reviewing and I promise to update sooner.

Coffee-is-addictive: Thanks for reading and reviewing.

Hcrobe0: I know your review is from chapter 5, but hey, thanks anyway, I appreciate it. Also, if you like my deviation from the fanfiction, I'm starting to post original fiction stories of FictionPress, my penname is teabean85, check it out if you're interested. Also, I have noted down your vote for Trory and of course it matters!

Bethany Inc: Love a bit of earth shattering/quaking-ness! Thanks very much for your rather vivid review. Sorry for the delay.

Brown-eyed-beauty87: I'll try to write chapters that are easier to review. Thanks for taking the time to read my story and I'm sorry for taking so long to update.

Finnlover: Thanks for reading and reviewing. Sorry for taking so long to update.

Rish: Sorry for the delay. Thanks for reading and reviewing.

Jojo: Thank you very much for reviewing. The identity of the girl on the machine (I'm guessing that's who you meant) will be resolved very soon. Sorry about the delay in updating.

Ali: Thanks for reading and reviewing. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update.

Kate: Can I ask why you refuse to call a Rory/Logan 'Rogan'? Thanks for reading and reviewing. Can't say who sent the necklace yet, but you'll find out very soon. Sorry for taking so long to update.

Zomg: Love the review, it made me smile. Sorry for the delay in posting.

Rorgan fan: I'm noted your vote for Rory/Logan. Thanks for your review, I appreciate it muchly. Sorry for the delay.

Iceprincess954: Sorry about taking (seemingly) for ever to update. Thanks for taking the time to read and review. The mysteries will be resolved very soon.

Mamashirl: Thanks and if you are interested, I've started an original fiction story on Fiction Press, my penname is teabean85. And Tristan is coming back very shortly, another chapter or so. I promise to update sooner.

Ess3andra: Thank you for reading and reviewing. Can't confirm the final pairing yet. Sorry for the delay. Also, if you're interested, I have an original story started on Fiction Press, my penname is teabean85, check it out.

**Chapter 8**

…previously…

"Maybe you're right," he said suddenly, "Maybe we do need a break."

"No, I – " she wanted to stop him, beg him to forgive her, to take back everything she said.

"Like you said, this LDB, Scarlet thing does need my attention," he steamrolled over her, "The Scarlets are really tough to beat."

He stood up suddenly, gathering his belongings.

"Wait!" Rory exclaimed, her heart freezing at the thought she might lose him completely.

He met her gaze and she was shocked to the see the hurt in his eyes.

"I can't," he whispered hoarsely.

…

"So, how's the campaign going?" Rory asked as she and Finn bumped into each other at her coffee place.

"Well, you know," Finn shrugged nonchalantly as they walked, "Zorro meets Dead Poet's Society meets Skulls. A bit of splash, dash and wine."

"Sounds thrilling," Rory replied taking a sip from her coffee, part of her wished she could have joined the fun.

"Oh it is, a bit of inter-society warfare has never been this fun," he nodded earnestly, "The Scarlets are a crazy lot… Now tell me, how are you doing?"

"Good."

"Good, well that's good," Finn nodded again.

"You?" Rory returned, finishing her coffee and dumping the empty polystyrene container in the nearest bin.

"Great!"

"Yeah? That's great," Rory smiled slightly at his enthusiasm, "And Steph?"

"Steph's good, Colin's good too."

"Well, that's good."

Awkwardness settled over them, unspoken issues bubbled between them.

"How's Logan?" Rory asked finally.

"He's doing okay," Finn's tone clearly doubtful, "We don't really see much of him any more, keeps pretty much to himself, except for the LDB stuff."

Once again, Rory was flooded with feelings of guilt.

"I think someone should talk to him," Finn said quietly, by 'someone' he clearly meant Rory.

Rory bit her lip, turning away from him slightly.

"Rory – " he began, but she was quick to interrupt him.

"No, Finn," she shook her head regretfully.

"But…" he didn't have the words to describe what he felt seeing one of his best friends suffer the way Logan was.

"I can't, Finn, not yet," her eyes begged him not to press the issue, but he did anyway.

"Why not?" he frowned.

"I made a mistake, I said some things I shouldn't have."

"Then you can fix it," he replied, hope apparent in his voice.

"Not yet."

"Then when?" he asked, sounding a bit harsher than he intended.

"I don't know. I'm not ready yet, pride, I guess."

--

"Rory, we need you!" Steph exclaimed, chasing after Rory as she left her class.

"What for?" Rory paused, allowing Steph and Colin fall into step with her.

"The situations getting desperate," Colin informed her.

"We have been relentless, trying to get the Scarlets to slip up," Steph added.

"But it's like they're Teflon-coated," Colin interjected.

"Every time we think that we've got them – " Steph started.

"They manage to get away," Colin finished for Steph.

"And you need me because?" Rory asked when her two friends paused in their breakneck speed.

"Because we're losing men left, right and centre," Colin explained.

"Men?" Rory echoed, a little concerned.

"Colin's being melodramatic," Steph hastily corrected.

"You're one to talk," Colin retorted, glaring at Steph.

"Guys!" Rory interrupted, "Just someone tell me what you want."

"The problem is we've lost several LDB members for various reasons – " Colin said.

"Injury, mid-terms, food poisoning, mechanical failure, don't ask – " Steph interjected.

"And our numbers are down," Colin finished.

"We've got one last chance to put these Scarlets in their place," explained Steph.

"And so we need you," Colin finally stated.

"Is that all?" Rory asked.

"Well, yeah," Steph and Colin shared a baffled look.

"Okay," Rory replied simply.

"Just like that?" Colin eyed her strangely.

"I'm LDB too, aren't I?" Rory asked rhetorically.

"Yeah, but we thought that…" Steph glanced at Colin, shrugging slightly.

"What?" Rory prompted.

"Logan will be there," Colin bit his lip apprehensively.

"I'm sure we are both mature enough to be in the same place at the same time," Rory replied curtly, she was still stinging from the fight with Logan.

"Okay, well, if you're sure?" Steph asked.

"I am," she nodded firmly, "Time and place?"

"It's a whole weekend thing," Colin explained, "We don't know where, the Scarlets keep that a secret."

"Be ready by four pm, we're meeting in the boys' suite… or we could swing by a bit after and pick you up?" Steph asked.

Rory knew why she had paused, meeting them in the boys' suite, meant having to deal with Logan.

"Picking me up would probably be easiest," Rory agreed, Colin and Steph visibly relaxed, "You know luggage and all."

They nodded and laughed, pretending that no one was thinking about Logan when that is exactly what was one everyone's mind.

--

"So will you coming home this weekend?" Lorelai asked, the phone precariously wedged between in ear and her shoulder as she finished up some filing at the Dragonfly.

"No, I can't," Rory tried to sound as apologetic as she could, "I've got this thing for the paper."

She still hadn't told her mother all the details of the Life-and-Death Brigade, hoping that her vague comments about a group-of-friends-having-fun would suffice. Rory knew that despite her mother's some times wild nature, she probably wouldn't approve of the LDB's activities, much less her daughter's involvement.

"Are things with Logan still patchy?" her mother asked, shuffling papers.

"Yeah, we'll work them out," Rory replied, pulling out her overnight bag from under her bed.

"Oh, you remember the necklace?" Lorelai asked, referring to the mysterious package Kirk had delivered.

"How can I forget? You made me bring it here," Rory whined half jokingly as she started to select clothes to take to the LDB/Scarlet weekend.

"Well if you left it at home, you know the temptation would have been too much for me."

"Yeah, well now it's sitting there on my dresser, just looking at me," Rory complained, glaring at the black velvet pouch.

"Honey, it's jewellery, jewellery doesn't have eyes," Lorelai explained as if talking to a child, "Not unless it's those weird cockroach broaches, but they're just plain odd. Who want a cockroach for a pet, even if it is diamond-studded?"

"Anyway, you were saying?" Rory tried to bring her mother back to the original topic, she went back to choosing outfits.

"Oh yeah, Kirk says that the jewellery is definitely for you, but he doesn't know who the sender is."

"And the mystery continues," Rory mused, wondering who would send such an expensive gift through the mail, "Mom, I'm got a heap stuff to do, so I'll talk to you later okay?"

"Alright, babe. I got to go too, I think Michel's abusing a guest, again."

"Bye, mom."

"Bye, honey."

Rory hung up the phone, picking up the black velvet pouch she emptied its contents carefully into her palm. Replacing the earrings into their pouch, she held the necklace up, watching how the diamond spun, catching the light. Impulsively she added the jewellery to her overnight bag.

--

AN: Okay, my lovelies, I have finally updated, (well duh, how redundant of you, teabean!), but I promise to take so long to update again. Also I have to plug a new story I've started, it's on FictionPress so that means it's original! My Fictionpress penname is teabean85, so if you feeling in need of a bit of break from GG-world, check it out.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Gilmore Girls, actors, characters, plots, etc, that would be the wonderful people at WB, now CW I think (it's been a while since I've seen anything GG related). Although if I did, I'm pretty sure there'd be some big changes *cough*Chad*cough*. Anyway if you do feel inclined to sue me, some people have strange urges and we must accept them for who they are, I'm currently flat broke so all you will get is a used textbook, probably on organic chemistry.

**AN:** Thank you to the following people:

sparxx27

FairyGirl03 – I like Tristan much better

rish

shelly112

mrmp

Hcrobe0

rockrose

raspberrysorbet33

finnlover

Ace-reporter

LoVe23

Brittnay

Sorry for taking so long to update.

**Chapter 9**

…previously…

Rory hung up the phone, picking up the black velvet pouch she emptied its contents carefully into her palm. Replacing the earrings into their pouch, she held the necklace up, watching how the diamond spun, catching the light. Impulsively she added the jewellery to her overnight bag.

…

At precisely four o'clock, Rory was packed and waiting and exactly ten minutes later, Steph and Finn appeared at her door. Another thirty minutes later, they and all the other available members of the Life-and-Death Brigade arrived at a small park to which the Order of Scarlet had given them specific directions. Soon after they arrived, a convoy of black limousines pulled into the park, the drivers exited with timing that would have made Olympic synchronised swimming coaches jealous. One driver handed over a black envelope out of which a red and gold feather fell out along with a card with instructions for the LDB members to transfer themselves and their luggage into the limousines.

"What about our cars?" Rory hissed to Finn, who also looked a little worried at the prospect of leaving the SUVs in the secluded park.

"Your vehicles will be attended to," one of the drivers informed them as they efficiently transferred the luggage.

Soon the LDB members found themselves being whisked off to an unknown destination, the tint of the windows of the vehicles in which they were being transported was too dark to give away any clues of the direction they were heading in. For all they knew, they could be heading straight back to Yale.

--

After what seemed like hours of smooth, unbroken travel, the limousines slowed and the distinct sound of gravel under tyres could be heard and moments later the whole cavalcade came to a halt. Before any of the limousines' occupants could process that they had apparently arrived at their destination, the doors swung open, revealing a grand Victorian mansion.

"Welcome to Scarlet House," the booming voice with an obvious British accent carried easily across to LDB members as the disembarked from their vehicles.

Rory and others turned to see a tall man elderly man with a shock of white hair standing in front of what appeared to be the front entrance grand building. He was dressed in a slate grey three-piece suit, a scarlet rose bud tucked in the button hole of his suit jacket.

"You may refer to me as Evans," he continued, "Now, if you'll follow me."

He turned and without checking to see if anyone was actually following him, he walked through the huge double doors of the mansion. The LDB members shared a wary glance before hurrying after him. Upon passing through the doors, which were being held open by two men dressed in red and black uniforms with gold trimmings, they discovered a cavernous foyer. Suspended from the high ceiling was an enormous crystal chandelier. Huge paintings of people Rory could only assume were important Scarlets hung on the walls, one in particular caught her eye. It was of middle aged man and much younger version of himself, possibly a father and son, both had thick blonde hair and blue eyes, the exact shade of which seemed all too familiar. Before she could study the image any more, she felt a tug on her sleeve.

"Come on," Finn whispered, tilting his head in the direction of their friends who were now trouping after Evans up the wide staircase that swept around the foyer and up to the next level.

As they hurried after the group, they caught the end of what Evans had been saying.

"The guest quarters are located in the east wing, there you should find all that you need, however if there is something amiss, please do no hesitate to call down for it. Do not, I repeat do not, go to into the west wing under any circumstance, that is for your own safety. If you feel the need to go against that, I will be safe in the knowledge that I have warned you to the best of my ability and will not be responsible for any accidental deaths that may occur if you do enter the west wing.

Another glance shot through the LDB members and this time, for a brief second, Rory found herself locked in Logan's gaze before he looked away again. She had caught the surprise in his eyes, perhaps no one had informed in that she was coming with them, though she had been a little surprised she hadn't seen him either until that moment.

"Your luggage will be brought up shortly," Evans said, as he finally came to the start of a long corridor, "The rooms are all twin share, I trust you will all be capable of selecting your own rooms. As I said, if there is anything you want for, all you have to do is call."

And before anyone could say anything he turned on a heel and hurried back down the stairs. After a moment's hesitation, the LDBers hurried to investigate the rooms and somehow Rory found herself standing alone in the corridor, well alone except Logan who was openly staring at her.

"Logan," she greeted him quietly.

"Rory," he returned, just as quietly, "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Anything for the cause," she offered him a weak smile.

"Sure," he frowned.

Someone was calling his name and they turned to see a boy gesturing for Logan to come have a look at something and without a backward glance he left her in the hallway. This is going to be a long weekend, Rory thought with a sigh.

--


End file.
